Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics wins Champion for Change award

Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. (OCD) was recently named the 2012 recipient of the “Champion for Change” award, presented by Practice Greenhealth, the national membership organization for health care facilities committed to environmentally responsible operations. The award celebrates the company for its outstanding contributions to environmentally responsible health care. Practice Greenhealth honored its top performers at the Environmental Excellence Awards in Denver, Colo. in conjunction with CleanMed, the premier global conference on environmentally sustainable health care.

The Champion for Change award recognizes businesses and organizations that demonstrate successful accomplishments in ‘greening’ their own organization and have assisted their associated health care facility clients, members, and customers in improving their environmental performance.

“This award demonstrates OCD’s commitment to their customers, clients and community to protect public health and preserve the environment,” said Laura Wenger, R.N. and executive director of Practice Greenhealth. “OCD is truly demonstrating leadership for the future of health care.”

“We recognize that everyone has the ability to choose products and use processes that have less of a negative environmental impact,” said Robert Smith, vice president of Franchise Operations Development. “Purchasing departments are changing the kinds of products and services they use, and we are mutually committed to bring about progress.”

The Champion for Change award is reserved for organizational partners supplying health care products and services that are considerate of the earth and its resources. The winners of this award have achieved success in greening their own organization and have also assisted others who are committed to improving their environmental performance.

Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics strives to conform to standards which address sustainability by assessing the lifecycle and environmental-friendliness of its products, and has also implemented an electronics and plastics recycling “takeback” program. Through this program, customers can send back empty containers or cartridges of used products to be recycled. Since the start of the program over 200,000 pounds of plastic has been recycled. The company also operates several facilities to refurbish previously used analyzers, extending their life and reducing the number of systems that are retired.

In addition, customers are offered a service known as Valumetrix. Six-Sigma/Process Excellence consultants conduct an on-site customer assessment to make recommendations to improve lab efficiency and reduce waste. The company is also committed to phasing out mercury used as a preservative in its test solutions and has eliminated 80-percent of mercury-containing hazardous waste through reformulation.

Their facility in Raritan has an impressive portfolio of energy-saving projects including onsite solar, cogeneration and innovative green building initiatives such as material reuse in construction, clean air recycling and supplemental non-traditional lighting.